Pipelines safe, Keystone XL meeting told

LINCOLN, Neb., April 19 (UPI) -- Pipelines are the safest way to transport oil in the United States, a former U.S pipeline regulator said at a Nebraska meeting on the Keystone XL pipeline.

The U.S. State Department requested public opinion on a draft assessment of the planned cross-border pipeline.

Critics of the project say Canadian crude oil, the type designated for Keystone XL, may be more corrosive and therefore more likely to cause a pipeline spill.

A so-called tar sands oil spill in Michigan in 2010 was the costliest incident of its kind. Exxon Mobil is working to clean up a similar spill in Arkansas, though that spill is far less severe than Michigan's.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kerri-Ann Jones said the government would consider things like Keystone XL consumers when considering the thousands of comments submitted on the draft report. No indication was given as to when a final decision was expected.